Regrow Rewild Update

Stephanie Clark, NPA Citizen Science Officer

We have been busy in the planning stages of Regrow Rewild. The main objectives of the project will be to examine a statewide selection of fire refugia to document the extent to which they are functioning as ‘biodiversity arks’. These sites are important as they offer the best hope for the survival of the many species that have been pushed to the edge of extinction by the 2019/20 bushfires.

Urban Greenspace and Mental Health and Wellbeing

Magella Lajoie, Sydney Region Branch

Since the COVID-19 crisis, my husband and I head off for the bush at the end of our street everyday.  We are very lucky to live in a suburb with abundant greenspace. We have been bushwalkers all our lives and know that feeling of introspection during the walk and value that feeling of rejuvenation after a bush walk.  Now science has bourgeoning evidence that urban greenspace is good for our health, our mental health and our wellbeing. 

Speaking 4 the Planet: An initiative where science meets art

Phil Smith, Director, Speaking 4 the Planet

Speaking 4 the Planet is founded on the belief that Science provides the information we need to achieve sustainability, and the Arts are the vehicles to bring change to our societies: Science provides the data; the Arts change the world.

Beat Plastic Pollution. Connecting People to Nature. Illegal Trade in Wildlife. Seven Billion Dreams.One Planet.Consume with Care. Raise your Voice, Not the Sea Level. Think.Eat.Save. Beat Air Pollution.

Wollemi National Park’s Hidden Cultural Treasures

Mark Roebuck, NPA member and bushwalker

Australia’s Aboriginal Rock Art is of World Heritage significance.  Many people are familiar with the spectacular rock art of Northern Australia.  It is a lesser known fact that similar treasures lay on the doorstep of Sydney’s large population centres.  Wollemi National Park consists of 5,000 square kilometres of rugged and difficult to access, trackless terrain.  It is rich in Aboriginal art and other cultural sites.  Many of these sites have only recently been re-discovered.  Many more remain in obscurity, lost to knowledge (waiting to be found) due to the forced cultural disconnection of the Aboriginal custodians and protected by the rugged wilderness.

Bushfire Impacts in the South-East Forests

Kim Taysom, Far South Coast Branch

The South East Forests National Park (the Park) straddles the Bega Valley and Snowy Monaro Shires and comprises around 130,000 hectares of escarpment forests inland from Eden, Merimbula and Bega. 

In terms of area burnt, the recent fires are unprecedented.  The Bega Valley Shire had 58% of its area burnt, with the forested areas being the hardest hit.  To put this in historical context, past fires which have burnt 10% of a shire’s area have been deemed significant events.